These Inhibitors' Flaws
by Fortune Spirit
Summary: Knuckles has Tails make special inhibitors for Sonic after an incident where he went Dark and lost control. Now, Sonic must get used to the constraining feel of the inhibitors as they force his body to ignore the Negative Chaos Energy inside of him. After getting frustrated with the way they make him feel, he turns to Shadow for help...
1. Chapter One

Chapter One

The cobalt hedgehog growled in frustration, glaring down at the faintly glowing purple-blue rings around his wrists. Inhibitors. The damn cursed things felt very odd, to say the least. It was as if they were sucking the very life out of his veins slowly, yet not killing him either; they were the perfect balance to make him feel drained yet full of energy at the same time. It was filling him with a strange, unsettling sense of unease. He felt chained yet free, content yet miserable, panicked but… calm - all at once! It was confusing to him, and when he was confused, he got irritated.

So here he was, sitting at the cliff edge, legs dangling over the side, ears folded back, blue quills bristling, emerald eyes narrowed, sharp teeth bared in a snarl, **irate**. He didn't need these stupid things. He was completely fine, for Chaos sake! So, he lost his cool – so what? It wouldn't happen again, he would make sure of that.

Alas, they didn't trust him. They probably never would again. That's why he had these, because they didn't think that he could control himself anymore. It was _once_. Once! It's funny how quick they are to flip the script though, isn't it? Shadow tried to destroy Mobius several times, granted he was confused and under the influence of Eggman, but that still shouldn't be excused so easily! Surprisingly, though, it was: G.U.N. appointed him as one of their lead agents and the rest of his friends accepted and forgave him so quickly. But Chaos forbid, he screws up _once_ and his friends can't even discuss this stuff with him properly? Nah, of course not! Instead, they sit him down for five minutes and force him to wear some stupid rings that make his frazzled mind think that death is actually a preferable alternative. Did they just not care…? Not care about how **he** felt about all this?

He lowered his gloved hands from his face, disgust and betrayal evident on his features. He was alone, so he begrudgingly let his cheerful façade slip, otherwise he really wouldn't have. He wouldn't have let it slide ordinarily, but he just felt so… so… so **furious**!

"Good thing these Inhibitors are keeping me from letting out anger like I would normally do!" he huffed sarcastically to no one at all.

He was referring to the fact that he used to release built up Chaos Energy, mostly the Negative kind, when he let his emotions stack up for too long. This happens fairly regularly due to him masking his emotions behind a smile for the benefit of his friends. A lot of good that did him, seeing as how he'd spent all this time protecting his friends, keeping them from worrying, and they can't even be courteous enough to return the stinking favour! Now, these Inhibitors were just making him crack under the pressure of his own emotions.

He picked up a stone by his side and, with an aggravated scream, threw it over the cliff-side, watching it splash into the lake bellow. He closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands. After a few moments of sitting there, he opened one of his eyes, glancing back at the lake. Trying to compose himself once more, he took a deep breath and focused on the large expanse of shimmering water sitting at the bottom of the cliff. The sun glittered on the surface of the water, sparkling and dancing along with the soft waves. The water was extremely clear and blue. He breathed in the cool summer air; the scent of various flowers filled his nose with their pleasant aromas. The smell of the grass was a welcoming change to the city's musk too. He missed this.

Now that he was calmer, he took better look at his surroundings. The tall trees behind him shielded him mostly from the summer's sun, dappling his soft fur with tiny splodges of sunlight. The cerulean sky was clear aside from the white, puffy clouds on the horizon and the breeze ruffled the leaves on the trees. He listened to the birds' melodic tunes and took in the sights all around him. A smile crept up onto his face.

For a moment, he completely forgot about his Inhibitors, that is until his mood drastically changed… again. It seemed that, because these things kept his Chaos Energy levels in check, they also fucked with his emotions too – now he was having mood swings like a moody teenage girl… great…

He'd barely had these for two hours… and he already despised them.


	2. Chapter Two

Quick warning: this chapter gets a little darker, and likely this story will just keep getting worse from here. If you are squeamish and don't like gore, I suggest you stop reading now.

Also, thank you for the reviews from the last chapter! I will try and get this updated as often as I can, but no clear schedule has been set in place yet, so it will likely be updated in random bursts, so don't get used to quick updates like this one. Thank you all so much, once again, and enjoy! ~Fortune

* * *

Chapter Two

The red echidna sighed, "Let's face it, Tails – this is Sonic we're talking about, we're never gonna find him… If he wants to be alone, he wants to be alone."

"B-but… But **why**? Why would he just run off like that? We're trying to _help_ him!" Tails whined, his twin tails flicking anxiously behind him.

The poor kid looked exhausted, Knuckles noted. His yellow fur was ruffled and his large ears drooped in disappointment, sapphire eyes lowering to the ground, defeated. They had been out here looking for Sonic for hours, but the young fox's brother was nowhere to be found.

"You… you don't think we upset him **that** bad, do you, Knuckles…?" Tails asked; a twinge of guilt was evident in his voice.

Knuckles turned to face the distraught fox, his purple eyes meeting his worry-filled blue ones. Knuckles sighed once more and turned away from Tails. Now that the young fox brought it up, he realised that the impulsive hedgehog likely saw this as more of a threat than a benefit. After all, they were called 'Inhibitors' for a reason…

He muttered quietly, "I… I don't know… I really don't know, Tails…"

He looked up at the sky, the twinkling stars like tiny broken torches caught in the quickly darkening sky' web, and he wrapped his arm around the upset kid's shoulders. He slowly began to guide them back in the direction of the house Sonic and Tails shared as he thought about their predicament.

Sonic had run off somewhere… somewhere where they couldn't find him because he wanted to be alone, but why? He knew sometimes Sonic needed his space, much like everyone does at some point, and he deserved that after all he's done. He just hoped that the frustrating blue hedgehog would come to his senses and come back. They needed a proper chance to explain; after all, they _had_ sprung this on him out of the blue…

Knuckles was starting to get uneasy the more he thought about it. While Sonic had many friends, and was also very famous, he did have his mysterious side… a side that sometimes worried him. Tails hadn't seemed to notice his brother's strange habits, but he had. He started to wonder if his 'runs' were just another excuse to be alone for an extensive period of time… it was funny how he seemed so social, yet he acts like an introvert half the time. But, he'd always been like that, right? A little stand-off-ish? Kinda reminded him of someone… maybe the two really weren't so different, after all?

He shook his head to push away the thoughts. He was here for Tails right now. He'd have time to worry about Sonic tomorrow.

Sonic _had_ to come back to the house to sleep, right?

* * *

Suddenly, Sonic felt really drained.

Glancing back at the sky, he realised that night had fallen. How long had he been out here? There was no way he was going back home… not like this. He stood. He'd just have to find somewhere else to sleep. This reminded him of old times; looking for shelter, darting from place to place to avoid being spotted… **alone** …

He shivered. He never thought that it would come back to this. But it had, hadn't it? It was as if he was on the run once more. This time, though, it was his own friends that he was running from… not _them_ …

He froze, mid step, as a wave of memories, memories he'd rather forget, came crashing down on him, full force. His ears pinned back and he took in a shaky breath, trying to force those thoughts away, to no avail. It came in flashes…

Blood. There was blood everywhere, encircling him, **covering** him head to toe in hot, sticky, wet crimson. It stained his fur, stained his soul. Whose blood was it? Were they still nearby? No… it was _his_ blood. He heard laughter… violent laughter, not happy laughter. It was all around him. _They_ were mocking him. He was crying out, but he couldn't hear himself. He made no sound… he couldn't breathe. He struggled, fought for air, yet nothing, no one was cutting off his air in the first place. He was choking… choking on something vile and metallic tasting. More blood. His vision began to melt away, melt back to the forest he knew he'd been standing in before…

Sonic clutched the branch of a tree beside him. His nails dug into the bark through his gloves, he could feel that they were ruined, torn. He took deep breaths as reality gradually returned. His head was pounding. He just wanted to scream. He wanted to cry, but he wouldn't allow himself to. No, scratch that, he _couldn't_ allow himself to.

He tightly closed his eyes, as if it would stop the memories from overflowing again.

His hand released the branch as he slid down the side of the tree – an old oak, perhaps? Did it even matter? He hugged his knees to his chest, resting his cobalt quilled head on top of them. He knew he should have felt cold, but he wasn't. He felt nothing… he felt completely numb. He hadn't thought of _them_ in years… these stupid Inhibitors were getting to him, he knew it…

Eventually, he drifted off into a far from dreamless sleep, his mind filled with horrors that chilled the very soul.


	3. Chapter Three

Hey, guys!

Once again, I'm going to put a quick warning here: This is going to be a _dark_ story, some scenes will contain gore and, probably should have mentioned this from the start, contain some… 'colourful' language… I suggest not reading if any of this upsets you.

Well, I think that's all I have to say… Thank you for the reviews and I'll try and keep updating this every few days or even every day if I feel like it. Sorry for the inconsistencies, but please (try) to enjoy this chapter. Thanks again!

~Fortune

* * *

Chapter Three

"Maurice, Maurice~"

His closed eyes twitched, blue, pointed ears flicking in annoyance. He'd heard something, but he couldn't make it out, so he just ignored it. His mind needed the rest.

"Maurice~"

The voice came again though, a little more clearly this time, yet still not distinguishable. He huffed, ears swivelling in an attempt to find the source of the voice. However, the voice's volume never changed...

"Do you remember me, Maurice?"

Gasping slightly as he recognised the name used, he opened his eyes in alarm, but was greeted with only darkness. Had he even opened his eyes? He looked down at his hands to check. Yup, they were there alright, but his gloves weren't torn... And... And were his Inhibitors **gone**...?

'I coulda sworn...'

The echo of footsteps sounded in his ears and they pricked up in response immediately. He swung his head around, panic written on his features for a split second.

"H-hello...?" His voice was shaky; why was it shaky, damn it?!

He mentally cursed himself, clearing his throat before trying again, "Who's there?" Good, he sounded more confident and threatening this time.

He heard no response...

He got to his feet hastily. He heard more footsteps but couldn't determine where they were coming from; it seemed like they were everywhere and nowhere all at once! Confused, he spun around, fists clenching. He was ready for a fight if this guy kept messing with him. He really wasn't in the mood right now and, he feared in his state, he may lose his cool completely. He kept his composure, trying not to show uncertainty in his stance or his features. He was **not** afraid.

He growled, "Hey! Show yourself, coward!" his ears pinned back, quills raised, eyes narrowed. He actually looked pretty damn intimidating.

A demonic voice cackled near his left ear, but when he turned, no one was there. The laughing cut through his soul like a knife through butter and it... It sounded somehow familiar... It was deep, dark, violent... It almost sounded like multiple voices too... The laughter continued, never ceasing. In fact, it sounded as if it was getting louder. _Was_ it getting louder? He covered his ears, flattening them against his skull, trying to block it out but he couldn't - it was in his head.

He screamed, "St-stop! Stop it! Shut up!" His voice cracked slightly; he didn't care.

Suddenly, as if by his command, the voice stopped. A bitter silence, a silence that was much worse than the laughing, filled the air. Sometime after he covered his ears, he must have closed his eyes, as now he couldn't see his legs. Wait, legs? His head was low and he was now on his knees… He opened up his emerald eyes. He saw a pair of red and white shoes in front of him. Wait, weren't those _his_ shoes? He looked up and was met with an onyx black hedgehog, their fur somehow impossibly darker than the gloom surrounding them both. Their quills went up opposed to his cobalt quills that swooped down instead. Then he saw their eyes... Their eyes were huge, almost glowing, white pools devoid of any pupils or irises. It was chilling… Around them, a swirling navy and purple aura, and aura that was suffocating, swirled, reminding him of Chaos Energy. No... It _was_ Chaos Energy... he shivered, _Negative_ Chaos Energy...

his eyes widened. This... This was...

'Dark?! No... no, th-that's not possible! It can't be!'

Dark smiled with a horrible, sharp toothed grin, "Oh, but it is, **Maurice** ~"

Sonic jumped back so that now he was leaning on the palms of his hands, "Wha-? H-h-how'd you...?"

Dark leaned down towards him, his smile never faltering, "I am you, Maurice. I know what you're thinking; you can't hide _anything_ from **me**."

"D-don't call me Maurice!" the blue hedgehog snapped, a glare replacing his shock and fear, yet it was still very much unmistakable in his voice.

Dark picked up on this and chuckled, "I'll see **you** later~" he sang.

Before Sonic could even question what he meant, Dark plunged his hand straight through his chest.

* * *

The birds atop the trees fled as they were startled by a loud, blood-curdling scream.

Sonic clutched his chest, still able to feel where Dark's hand had entered his skin. He'd torn through his body, ending at his heart in which he'd proceeded to grab a hold of. It felt as if his hand was still in there, strangling is heart, squeezing, twisting, pulling… his gaze flew down to his rapidly rising peach chest, but no blood or even scar was there to show for his damage. It must have been a dream… no, a nightmare… it **had** to have been. _But why could he still feel it_?!

He was sat, bolt upright, his back leaning on the tree he'd fallen asleep against last night. He struggled to catch his quivering breath. He could feel himself trembling and it disgusted him. That nightmare it... It felt so real... He was still panicking, the tightening in his chest not doing anything to help ease the excruciating pain he still felt there.

He felt sick, genuinely sick. His free hand rose to his mouth instinctively as he felt the bile rise up in his throat. It burnt. He gagged slightly, but forced it down, groaning in discomfort when it threatened to rise again. He hugged himself, trying to get that horrifying grin out of his head.

It was day again, somewhere in the back of his mind, he acknowledged that fact. However, thoughts of his surroundings were put on the back burners as he tried with all his to forget about that nightmare, but he couldn't.

What had Dark meant by 'I'll see you later'? How was Dark still able to do this to his mind when he had the Inhibitors on? He knew from the start that the Inhibitors weren't doing quite what they were supposed to, but to not do the _one_ thing they were designed to do…? That couldn't be good. The only thing these Inhibitors seemed to be doing was making his mind unstable. They may limit his use of Chaos Energy, but they weren't exactly stopping his Dark side from fucking with him…

"I really need to get these things off… **Now**."

* * *

Hey, hey! I'm doin' a thing down here now!

Sorry that Sonic's interaction with Dark was so short in this chapter… it gets better, I swear!

Anyway, the next chapter shouldn't be long!

Buh-bye!

~Fortune


	4. Chapter Four

I want to apologise beforehand if this chapter is a massive let down. I'm not really that happy with it myself, but I need to get something posted for you guys. Hopefully you like it more than I do…

Oh, and if you want the full explanation as to why this is late, if you haven't already looked at it, read the first chapter of TENUC. Basically this chapter has been an absolute nightmare to write.

Anyway… enjoy?

~Fortune Spirit

* * *

Chapter Four

The ebony hedgehog huffed, his arms folded over his chest. His red streaked quills, which seemingly defied gravity, briefly swayed in the oddly warm summer wind. He watched the sun rise over the mountains in the distance as he sat on the roof of Club Rouge, the sky painted in several shades of orange. The clouds looked almost pink as they caught the rays of the sun. The forest bellow seemed dismal still as the light hadn't yet reached it. It looked mysterious, creepy even. The scene was peculiarly serene…

He let out an irritated sigh. Why did Rouge assume that he would find _anything_ about that blue annoyance interesting? So he was missing, who cares? It wasn't his problem. If Sonic wanted to give his friends heart attacks, well then that was his decision. But, of course, his 'partner' tried to rope him into it anyway. That was why he was up here: to escape from Rouge's infuriating persistence.

He hadn't been listening to what she'd said anyway, all he picked up on was that he'd disappeared; he didn't care about the reasons why. He didn't really care about the fact that he was gone in the first place. But, hey, the bright side was that he no longer had to put up with his stupid, cocky smile or dumb comments anymore.

But then… why did he feel slightly… disappointed? No. He wasn't disappointed. There's no way he could be! This was **Sonic** he was thinking about. The immature fool who found it fun to aggravate him constantly. Why did he feel like he would miss _that_?

Clearly, he was just tired… he'd just go on a run to clear his head, that should do the trick.

* * *

Damn it, what was wrong with him…? What were these Inhibitors doing to him? Why couldn't he think straight?!

All the thoughts he had were melding together in his head, making him confused. Where was he? He'd known earlier, but now the forest seemed to be blending all together – everywhere looked the same! Even if he _wanted_ to confront his friends, now he couldn't… his vision was going hazy now. Did anything even matter anymore? Did _he_ matter anymore…?

Who was he? A hero or a fraud? He had played the hero for so long… played out the life of this 'Sonic' character, and he left **himself** behind, caught in the cross hairs of a war-torn island. An island since lost in its own grief.

Wait; the island! He remembered the island! The forest that extended across the entire island, the vast expanse of land in which he could roam free, being one with the wind, the horizon that concealed the… the ocean… Chaos, the ocean… no wonder he feared the dreaded water so much – he had completely blanked out the memories of that ocean, that island, yet he retained that stupid phobia…

The only clear thought in his head was that of the island, but still he couldn't remember the name of it. He stopped pacing, instead leaning against the tree beside him. Was it the same tree he had collapsed against last night, or a different one? Who knew… all that he did know was that the island, whatever or wherever it may be, had some link to his dark side. He just hoped he could figure out why it seemed so important.

He whimpered, burying his face in his hands. He ignored the slight sting of the cuts over his hands, forgetting they were there as his body became numb. Was he crying? Damn it, why was he crying?! Was he really _that_ weak…?

He couldn't stop himself as his body trembled. Memories he had buried years before flashed like lightning across the sky that was is brain, proving to be just as destructive as their physical incarnations. Despite his tears flowing freely without his consent, he refused to let his sobs ring out loud for the forest, however empty it may be, to hear. Try as he might, he couldn't pull himself together as he broke down right there.

He was broken.

That's exactly what he was… wasn't he? These Inhibitors merely made him realise sooner; he'd been broken for a while now. Now that he thought about it… hadn't he _always_ been broken? There was always something off, different about him; he had never really quite fit in properly.

He blinked. Suddenly the forest around him seemed… different. Instead of oaks and pines, he was surrounded by cedars and redwoods… it was raining too, yet he did not feel it. The ground was becoming mushy and uneven underneath him. He tried to stand but quickly realised he couldn't. How did he end up on the floor in the first place? His body would not listen to him as the forest switched between bright, dry and welcoming to dull, drab and chilling. Every time he blinked, it would switch back to the one he woke up in, and then back again to the familiar one that he knew was not really there… or was it?

It looked eerily similar to the one from that island…

He could feel his chest tightening as he tried to get air into his lungs. Both forests merging together and spinning around him, blurring then focusing, blurring then focusing… he felt nauseous. He closed his eyes, pinned his ears back and screamed, hearing someone call out his name uncertainly.

Someone was shaking him now; that he felt. He didn't who it was, but he didn't care. He heard himself yell out something, though he didn't even know what. He lashed out, kicking the other away from him in a blind panic, his body now deciding to work yet still not in his favour. He heard someone shout out and he felt slightly ashamed. He jumped up, opening his eyes though they were unfocused, and ran. He heard footsteps behind him as he narrowly dodged a tree, the blurred shape nearly unrecognisable in his own sheer panic. Unfortunately, as he missed the impact with the tree, his foot found the roots instead and he tripped, crashing down to the ground with a thud.

He dared not move, alternatively curling up into a tight, protective ball of deadly quills.

* * *

Shadow froze, a scowl on his face as he saw the blur of a familiar colour off between the trees. Of course it was here, _here_ of all places, that the blue bother happened to be.

He was about to turn around, run ruined, and head back to Club Rouge, when he saw the hedgehog practically collapse against a tree. Slightly worried, though not sure why, he started to walk towards the hedgehog who was still a little far off from where he was. The closer he got, he began to realise that something was definitely not right. He was trembling. That was odd enough for the annoying little prick. Then he noticed two dimly glowing, purple rings, Inhibitors, around his wrists. Now _that_ was not normal.

He was practically in front of Sonic now. His usually illuminous emerald eyes were dull and distracted, staring right through him as if he was not even there. Out of nowhere, the younger hedgehog flinched and shrieked. Shadow, in turn, recoiled at the alien sound coming from the hedgehog.

He hesitated before awkwardly calling out, "Sonic…?"

He kneeled down and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him lightly, trying to snap him out of whatever state he was in. Sonic tensed in his grip.

"Leave me alone!" he cried, his leg jerked out, a tad bit uncoordinated, but it still found its target – Shadow's stomach.

He fell back, winded briefly, "Damn…" he wheezed out.

He glanced up at Sonic who had now risen to his feet. He wobbled slightly before dashing off, not even close to full speed. Shadow groaned and, still wondering why he even cared, jumped up and sprinted after his rival.

He watched as Sonic fell, curling up into a ball seconds after he hit the forest floor. He was letting out tiny distressed sounds similar to that of a wounded puppy or a lost child who couldn't find its mother. Shadow folded his ears back and stared at the distraught hedgehog, an unfamiliar feeling of pity rising in him. He tried to fight it away but as he continued to watch Sonic's shivering form, he couldn't help but feel like he should do something.

He may hate the damned hedgehog, but even he wasn't cruel enough to leave Sonic out here, like this, by himself.

Though he really didn't want to, he picked up Sonic carefully, making sure not to impale himself on his dagger-sharp quills. Surprisingly, he did not struggle this time; it almost seemed as if all the fight had been sucked from out him. He sighed and started to make his way back to the city once he was sure that he had a decent grip on his rival. If he could get him back to Club Rouge, then maybe she could deal with him and get off of his back, killing two birds with one stone.

Alas, when he got there, all he was greeted by was a note on the coffee table. He had dropped Sonic rather unceremoniously on the settee. He had still not uncurled from his ball and Shadow started to wonder whether or not he was still even conscious.

He picked up the note with an aggravated groan. "Sorry, Hun, out to see Knuckie – and his gorgeous emerald! Probably won't be back for a few hours! –Rouge."

'Of fucking course… that stupid bat is so infuriating.'

Shadow glanced back at Sonic. There was **no way** he was staying here to watch him for 'a few hours', however long that was going to be. He turned away, scrunching up the note and throwing to the side. Rouge had better be back soon, otherwise he had a feeling that the silly feeling of pity he had felt towards the hero would dissipate rather soon and cause him to fling Sonic out of the nearest window. Unless…

'He should be fine by himself anyway…' he thought with a huff as he headed for the door to finish his run.

* * *

Alright, so this may be a little longer than the others, but I still don't think that Sonic and Shadow's… "interaction" here, if you could even call it that, was long enough. I wasn't sure how to make it longer though with the plan I had in my head for this scene. I had to redo this chapter so many times that I'm just done with this one now… Sorry if it wasn't quite what you guys were expecting, I don't feel as if I did a good enough job. I'm really not pleased with this chapter if I'm to be honest…

~Fortune Spirit


	5. Chapter Five

I'm so sorry for the wait! I don't have any excuses, aside from me being lazy and having some writer's block problems with this chapter.

I really don't have much more to say, so enjoy the chapter guys!

~Fortune

* * *

Chapter Five

The cobalt hedgehog gasped for breath as he struggled to stay above the surface of the water. No, this wasn't water… it was thicker. Blood. That's what it was.

Another wave washed over him, forcing him back under the unrelenting sea. Desperately, he flailed; reaching for what he could only assume was the surface once more. He felt dizzy. His eyes stung as the blood got in his eyes, but that was the least of his worries at the moment. The blood… it was so heavy, so dense… it was making it difficult to move his already tired limbs. Besides the fact that he couldn't swim ordinarily, he was finding it even harder under the crushing weight of the blood.

Which way was the surface anymore? Was he still pushing towards it, or was he pushing himself deeper? He couldn't tell, but a nagging feeling in the back of his mind kept him fighting to find the air once more. He wouldn't give up – he outright refused to.

His stained, gloved hand suddenly broke the surface again and he thrashed wildly.

When he was once more above the blood, he gulped the air as fast as he could. He shook his head rapidly to clear the red from his vision. Then, he hastily glanced around the area, looking for a patch of land or something else he could use as a temporary platform.

Bingo!

What appeared to be a damaged piece of fencing caught his eye. It wasn't much but it would have to do. Seizing his opportunity, he pushed against the twisted current to reach the fence.

His hope diminished, however, when another wave crashed on top of him. He barely had any time to fill his lungs with oxygen before he was being dragged under. The tar-like liquid slid down his throat, leaving a metallic taste on his tongue. He coughed and spluttered, letting in more and more blood. He tried to gag, flail, scream – anything, but his struggles were only making it worse.

As he struggled, his hand hit something hard – the fence! He must have somehow drifted closer to it in his efforts. There was still a chance! He focused all of his remaining strength on trying to pull himself to the safe spot.

He clambered onto the scuffed up wood and collapsed upon it, gasping for the precious air his lungs so needed. He brought his hand to his mouth as he started to gag, coughing up the horrible liquid onto the already stained surface. The taste it left in his mouth only made him sicker. That acrid taste had refused to diminish… it still coated the inside of his mouth and the sides of his throat. He shuddered.

He heard chuckling, no, cackling behind him. He knew he was here, watching it all… He weakly turned to face him… Dark.

The midnight black form floated just above the fence, his scuffed shoes barely grazing it. He had a demented grin etched on his face as he watched Sonic with glee. Sonic narrowed his emerald eyes.

"You're enjoying this…" he spat bitterly.

He laughed, "Is it _that_ obvious?" he exclaimed sarcastically, putting a manic emphasis on his words so that he almost sounded 'innocent'.

Almost.

"Ready to let me take over the wheel **now** , hedgehog?" he rumbled lowly next to his ear.

The blue hedgehog growled, turning away from the psychotic demon. This upset Dark – he did _not_ want to be ignored. He yanked the still slightly trembling hedgehog up to his feet by his quills. Sonic cried out in agony, the tugging on his quills sending a painful jolt all the way down his spine. Dark's patience was definitely wearing thin.

"Still resisting, eh?" he sneered deviously, "We'll see about that…"

He pushed Sonic under the sea of plasma, holding him there and forcing him to gulp down the disturbing substance all over again. Sonic thrashed about. He tried to lash out at Dark, but the other wasn't fazed by his feeble attempt. When Sonic's movements began to slow, Dark mercifully pulled him up.

He choked and gagged, coughing up the blood and gasping for air.

"Well?" Dark asked.

"Three words," Sonic growled between mouthfuls of air, "Go. Fuck. Yourself."

Dark's smirk vanished. He flung Sonic back under again.

This time, he was prepared for Dark's response and, as he was plunged into the depths of the twisted sea, he held his breath in terror. However, while he was prepared, this was still _not_ ideal… he had to find a way of waking himself up. Fast.

He would never ordinarily give in to his demons' demands, but Dark had taken his worst fear and put his own, gory spin on it, somehow making it even worse. He tried not to show his fear, but it was getting increasingly difficult – Dark knew him too well… that may just have freaked him out more than the gruesome ocean itself.

He thrashed about again, refusing to open his eyes this time; he'd learnt _that_ the hard way. Chaos, they still stung, even now.

What was he still even fighting for? What little sanity he had left? His freedom? His friends? Mobius? He didn't really know… all three or perhaps even _none_ were the real reason.

All he knew was that he needed to wake. The fuck. Up.

He felt two hands grasp his shoulders and he froze briefly. Once he remembered exactly what was happening he fought again, this time he was more determined to stay _under_ the surface. He was caught between two of his fears, and he'd rather drown before he faced his darker side again.

By the looks of it, Dark was far from pleased with his sudden interest in drowning himself. He dragged him out of the water, practically kicking and screaming, by his arm.

On instinct, Sonic lashed out and dug his canines into Dark's hand. The pitch black hedgehog hissed and threw his other half back at the old chunk of fence. He landed on the wood but it swayed dangerously beneath him and he quickly had to right himself before he fell in again. He had hit the fence **hard** ; it was surprising that he hadn't rolled off at the force of the initial impact. There, on the fence, he slumped and let out a pained groan. Trying to push himself up on his trembling arms, he turned to see where Dark was.

He felt a suffocating negativity surround him suddenly. He choked, gasping and gulping at the air desperately. He felt hands around his throat yet… there was nothing there.

Dark. Was. _Pissed_.

That same purple-ish-blue aura that surrounded Dark was wrapped around the young hero's neck like rope. It was constantly shifting, changing, but not once was the pressure relieved from around his neck – in fact, it only got worse.

The livid form of Dark stood in front of him; his head was lowered so that it was difficult to see his face. It didn't matter though, as was evident by the flame-like aura that was no longer being idle like before, he was furious.

"D-Dar–" he tried to wheeze.

He yelped when the sensation around his neck grew more intense.

Dark's voice was so low and menacing, Sonic had to strain to pick up what he was saying, "Don't you **dare** piss me off, hedgehog… If you continue to upset me, you won't like the outcome, _I_ _assure you…_ "

Sonic gulped. He could feel himself quivering but he no longer cared. He was too terrified to care – too terrified to stop the fear from sinking into his features any longer. He whimpered and whined, struggling in the grasp of the intoxicating tendrils.

His vision was going black. He vaguely heard Dark yelling…

* * *

When he opened his emerald eyes, he found himself on the floor – the floor of an apartment by the looks of it. He coughed, raising his hand to his throat as if he could still feel the traces of Dark's power. His heart was thudding in his chest as fast as his feet could go.

He lied, curled up on the floor for several moments, content with being still for once. His breathing was rapid but he barely noticed as he stared blankly at nothing.

 **The dreams were getting worse…**


	6. Chapter Six

It's been a while, I know. I'm sorry, I was just sort of… stuck with this one. I'll get back on it as soon as I can. I hope you still enjoy.

~Fortune

* * *

Chapter Six 

He groaned. He wasn't entirely sure how long he'd been curled up here but he did know that it was probably wise to figure out where he was. With great difficulty, he forced his still tired body to sit up. Glancing around told him nothing, however, so he needed to do some more thorough snooping. Great.

Sneaking around someone else's property wasn't really his style but oh well.

He rose to his feet, albeit a tad hesitantly, and gradually set off to investigate. The walls were painted fairly light, a faded amethyst he decided, and the floor was carpeted in black – unfortunately, this still did not tell him much. The furniture was made of a dark oak wood and the settees were dark grey. Whoever they were, they surely weren't a fan of bright colours... that was clear. He glanced at a bookshelf to his right and caught a glimpse of a picture frame.

Rouge! Of course, that made sense – she was a bat after all. In the frame sat a picture, one that Sonic was sure she had taken herself, of her sitting on top of the Master Emerald. Sonic resisted the urge to chuckle when he noticed the not-so-happy form of a certain hot-headed echidna behind her. Why wasn't he surprised?

Wow... he was smiling! Actually smiling! Chaos, he certainly hadn't done that in a while. As the grin grew stronger on his face, he couldn't help but realise that something inside of him... settled. The storm that had been plaguing his frazzled mind for days now lifted ever so slightly, but still just enough for him to notice.

One glance at his wrists extinguished that bittersweet feeling. He was reminded, once more, of the shackles that dragged him back into the hurricane of negativity. The oh so familiar scowl graced his face. His pointed ears flicked before folding back completely, his quills bristling for a moment. He took a deep breath and attempted to push it all away, to no avail.

Grumbling, he sat back down at the base of the settee.

He must have zoned out because when the door to Rouge's apartment swung open, he jumped terribly. His head spun round to look at the door; he was surprised to see Shadow standing in the doorway.

"Shad...?" He asked uncertainly, cursing himself mentally as he realised how weak he must have looked in front of his rival.

Shadow's reply was definitely odd, "Oh... you're awake."

'How did he...? Wait...'

The forest. Someone else had been there. Was... was that Shadow?

"Oh, Chaos..." he mumbled into his hand, "Y-you saw that... didn't you?"

"If you are referring to your breakdown earlier in the forest, then yes. Yes I did." Shadow responded, straight to the point.

"Fan-fucking-tastick" he hissed under his breath - this was just what he needed now.

"So why exactly did that happen, hedgehog?" If Shadow had picked up on his curse, he didn't acknowledge it, thankfully.

"Uh, so why are you here at Rouge's place?" The young hero asked, purposefully pretending that he hadn't heard Shadow's question.

He heard him sigh, "I'm staying with Rouge for the time being, to my annoyance. Now, care to enlighten me on why you flipped out earlier?" He repeated, the frustration making itself known in his tone.

"Well," Sonic got to his feet again and forced a smile on his face, "I should be going, now."

Judging by the look on Shadow's face, his smile must have come out crooked and obviously forced. The smile slipped from his face in defeat. He charged for the door. Shadow, being closer to the door, seemed to have realised his plan and quickly slammed the it shut. Sonic growled and took a step back from the older one, the need to put on his façade rapidly slipping away.

"Hey, Shadow, ya mind moving, _pal_?" He hissed through his teeth.

"What's going on with you, hedgehog?" If he wasn't mistaken, he could have sworn that his rival sounded concerned… nah, he **must** be hearing things.

His quills began to visibly bristle, "And why the fuck would you care, anyway?" he snapped, catching the other's surprised reaction to the curse he let slip through.

He was starting to get a tiny bit antsy and frantic; his breathing was, little by little, becoming more and more rapid as a sudden wave of claustrophobia began to purge what little senses he had remaining. It felt like the walls were closing in. He couldn't breathe. He needed to get out of this building. It was a similar sinking feeling to that of when he was in that cursed sea of blood…

It was getting too much for the mentally exhausted hedgehog. He had to do something – and do something he did.

Without a second thought, he flung himself at his foe, teeth bared like a feral animal. He lashed out and aimed to strike the streaked hedgehog with his fist. He was in such a blind panic, that he barely heard Shadow mutter 'Chaos Control' before he disappeared, his fist punching through nothing but empty air. When he tensed for an assault on his back, knowing full well that he was not in the right mind to make his reflexes work fast enough to counter the attack, he noticed that the hit never came. Instead, he found that his arms were being swiftly pulled behind him – an attempt to subdue him. Being restrained, on the other hand, made him feel so much _worse_.

"Le-let me g-go!" he stuttered.

He fought against Shadow's hold. Unfortunately for Sonic, thanks to the state he was in and the fact that Shadow was genetically engineered to be freakishly strong, he wasn't getting very far. He swung his head back to cut Shadow's arms with his dangerously sharp quills. By the sounds of his hiss, he had done just that but it wasn't enough to make him release his hold.

Sensing that his tactic was having no effect, he forced all his weight back into the older one and brought them both crashing to the floor as he set them both off balance. That had done it. In no time at all, Sonic was rising to his feet. He dashed once more towards the guarantee of freedom. Shadow shouted something after him, but he ignored it. He couldn't care less what he had to stay; he needed fresh air. Badly.

Judging by the lack of booming music from downstairs, Club Rouge was closed today, so he wouldn't have to worry about making a scene. In a matter of seconds, the blue blur had made it to the front door and outside. He took in massive gulps of air, attempting to calm himself down.

The anxiety would not dissipate.

 **Why would it not go away?!**

Excellent, he was about to have a bloody panic attack – in the middle of the street, no less!

The dull, grey streets began to blur around him. He clutched his tightening chest, gasping at the air. He could feel himself sweating – he was scorching hot but he was shivering as if he were freezing too. Tingling sensations were shooting through his entire body and, as he fell to his knees, he barely felt the hard pavement underneath him. It were as if he were about to pass out. He really was starting to despise not having control of his body, of his emotions.

He heard a rush of steps behind him.

"Damn it!" he hissed.

This was just what he needed now – for his rival to see another breakdown. Chaos, what must he think of him by now? He assumed that the other already thought he was pathetic, but seeing him have attacks like this twice in a matter of hours…? He must think that he was broken.

But that's just it, he _was_ broken.

He growled. Cycling back to this now, are we? Of course. It's not like the Inhibitors reminded him of this fact every time he looked at them…

"Pitiful…"

There it was. Dark's mocking tone. He really was his own worst enemy at this point.

'Fuck. You.' he spat at Dark in his head.

He was greeted by silence. He wasn't too sure if that was a good thing or a badthing. Considering that Dark was a chaotic, demonic entity hell-bent on taking away everything he loved, including his mind and his freedom, it was most likely a fucking **terrible** thing.

Dark was progressively getting more and more active in his mind and that worried him. The fact that he was more active than he had been in years made him wary to begin with.

He felt Shadow's presence beside him just like in the forest. When arms closed around him in order to get him to stand, he wanted to scream out in protest, kick, punch – anything… but his body refused to react. He was hyperventilating, this he knew, but he could not for the life of him calm himself down. He heard something, someone, calling to him but the sound was so distorted in his messed-up mind that he could barely tell what was being said and who was saying it. In fact, it didn't even sound like English to him anymore. He could only assume, in frustration, that it was Shadow.

Gradually the colours and shapes around him began to change and before he even realised it he was back inside Club Rouge. Objects like chairs and tables began to slowly come into focus as his head started to clear. As the interior of the club became more apparent to Sonic, he grew hot in embarrassment. His head dropped so that he was staring at the floor and his ears fell against his head; he threw curses around in his mind left and right, mentally berating himself. How could he let that happen? Why would his body still not respond and push Shadow away? He could feel his rival guiding him towards the stairs and all he could think was that he wanted to go back to the forest, he wanted to be by himself again, but he still could not muster up the strength to kick, flail or punch Shadow away in a fit of fury and humiliation.

"… Why won't you leave me alone…?" he dejectedly mumbled to the floor, "I want to be alone…"

He got no answer. Instead, Shadow looked over at him and frowned, but Sonic did not notice since he was facing down. That made the black hedgehog's frown deepen.

When they got back up to the apartment, Sonic said nothing else. In fact, he was half limp in the Ultimate Lifeform's hold and he looked defeated as he continued to emptily stare at the ground. Shadow walked him to the settee he left him on earlier and set him down there again. Sonic did not move. He didn't do much of anything but stare at nothing. Shadow cautiously locked the door, not willing to leave it open in case Sonic decided to make a run for it again, and he walked to the kitchen to get Sonic a glass of water. Occasionally, he glanced at the upset hedgehog in the other room to make sure he was alright (even though he clearly was **not "** alright").

He set the glass down on the table in front of Sonic and waited. Still, he did not respond. It was as though he was in his own world, completely dead to the real one. Silent. Unmoving.

Shadow hadn't a clue what to do.


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Sometime around halfway up the stairs, Dark began laughing. Not a gentle, infectious laugh, but a chiding, chilling cackle. He kept repeating the same sing-songy mantra too.

"Tick-tock, Maurice, tick-tock!"

He was running out of time. Sooner or later, he would snap – Dark was just biding his time, making things worse by subjecting him to more and more mental torture, pushing him closer to his breaking point, to insanity. He was fully aware of his rival's presence across from him. He didn't want him there. He didn't want anyone near him right now, let alone his rival.

He just knew that eventually Dark would stop his horrible chanting and start threatening the only other Mobian in the room. Shadow may be his rival, but he refused to let Dark put images of what he'd do to him in his head. Shadow didn't deserve that. No one did. Besides, he didn't know how long he'd be able to take Dark's gleeful talk of murder before he threw up or started begging him to stop; ultimately, he would lose all his pride in doing so too. No, the chanting was better than that. He just prayed that Dark didn't get any ideas to switch up his game anytime soon…

Shadow cleared his throat awkwardly. Sonic decided that the silence only made Dark's taunting laughter more apparent, and since talking in his head clearly didn't work, he would try talking to Shadow instead. There was a problem though – how to start? He knew Shadow would just try to badger him into talking about his recent… "episodes" but he really didn't want to go there. He wanted to take his mind off it, but would Shadow make it worse? Likely. Shadow didn't seem like the kind of guy who'd let him get away with avoiding his questions. That meant he would be stuck in his thoughts again and he really didn't want to continue that self-deprecating loop. Not again.

He eventually found the courage to lift his head, glad that Shadow was looking away when he did so. He didn't want to meet his eye yet. He opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't think of how to start, so he ended up snapping it closed again with an aggravated sigh. Shadow heard that, unfortunately and turned his way. Sonic dropped his gaze to his shoes again.

"What is it, Hedgehog?" Shadow grumbled.

This was a terrible idea! What was he thinking?

"No-nothing…" Sonic replied as he mentally berated himself, not only for the stuttering but for thinking so stupidly – why did he think this would go _well_?

Shadow sighed, "Look, if you want to say something then say it. You're not typically the quiet type, Faker."

He opened and closed his mouth like a confused goldfish, wondering how to respond. In the end he settled for a simple "doesn't matter" and tried to go back to staring at the floor but Shadow wasn't having it. He was, at least, merciful.

"You don't have to tell me why you completely flipped out earlier, ok? Just… speak! Say something!"

"Why are you still here?!" He blurted out suddenly, surprising even himself, "Why do you even care? I thought you'd like the _bloody_ silence! I thought you'd like to see me as a complete and utter _mess_! I thought you'd like to see me…" broken.

He choked on the last word and couldn't get it out. Why? He knew it to be true himself, and surely Shadow thought the same, so why couldn't he just admit it out loud?

"Sonic-"

"Forget it!" He snapped, rushing to the door, only to find it locked.

He stood facing the door, growling. He let his head fall against the door, forehead against the wood, as his shoulders sagged. He felt really tired all of a sudden. Dark grew silent. It worried Sonic greatly – he was planning something.

* * *

Shadow wasn't sure whether he should try and sit Sonic back down, try to talk to him or just do nothing. He was far from being fine, that much was horrifically clear, and for some reason Shadow was intent on finding out why.

"Sonic, we can go back to silence if you'd prefer, but just sit down."

"Open. The. Damn. Door." He hissed through gritted teeth.

"I can't do that." He replied calmly.

"Why not?!" Sonic threw his arms in the air for emphasis as he turned around – it was clear he was frustrated, "If you won't get off your ass and do it, then just give me the key!"

Shadow held his gaze coolly, "That's not going to happen, Hedgehog."

Sonic began growling again.

"According to Rouge, you ran off and worried your friends. I'm sure they'll be glad to know where you are."

Sonic's face immediately paled at that, "let me out. Now."

* * *

'Funny. I think I heard Dark say that, _just_ like that, once…' Sonic thought sarcastically with a snort.

"Why are you so determined to stay away from your _friends_?"

"None of your damn business!" He yelled, "Just… just give me the stupid key…" He ended with a whine.

Shadow folded his arms across his chest, "They're worried about you."

"I'm aware." He replied bluntly.

"Then why're you-?"

"They made me these… because they think I'm broken." He raised his hand so that Shadow could clearly see the glowing Inhibitor around his wrist, "They're not half wrong. But they don't understand…"

Shadow, still a little shocked, asked, "Don't understand what?"

Sonic glared at him before aiming a kick directly at the door. His shoe connected with the wooden surface full force, or at least as much force as he could muster at the time, knocking it off its hinges and sending it flipping down the stairs. Both hedgehogs heard the slam when the door made it down to the ground floor followed shortly by a crash. That must have broken something glass… and expensive.

"Tell Rouge I'll pay her back…" He muttered, looking slightly ashamed, "Eventually."

And with that, he was gone.

Shadow knew he had to find him. Quickly. He was mentally unstable at the moment and there was clearly something going on with him that ran deeper than the supposed "betrayal" of his friends. He left a note to Rouge and set out after the Blue Blur. He just hoped he found him before he did something stupid and hurt himself. Chaos knows what he could do in his state.

* * *

This is a lot shorter than the last chapter and I apologise for that. I feel like I'm going around in circles and making this story boring and monotonous that way. It takes me forever to get to updating, I know, and every time I seem to be reiterating the same point over and over again. I don't know, is this story getting boring to you guys…?

If it is, let me know. I'll probably take it down and re-write it or something. I just want to make sure that it is at least kind of interesting to read. Maybe I'll never get to that point, but I still want to try.

Alright, thanks guys for still reading. I'm not going to bother to ask for reviews or anything because I feel that if you want to give me feedback, you don't need to be told to do so, you'd just do it, right? That seems logical to me.

Ok, sorry for the long note.

~Fortune


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Dark's laughter echoed through his skull as he ran but didn't look back. He was painfully aware of the fact that Shadow could easily catch up to him like this, but he didn't care anymore.

"Tick-tock! Tick-tock! _Tick-tock_!~"

"Shut up!" He screamed, covering his ears out of habit.

"Why bother running, Maurice?" he sneered, "You do realise I'm in your head, right?~"

"I'm aware, you bastard. I'm not running from **you**." He added, quieter, "No matter how much I want to…"

Through his hands, he heard the faint, telling sound of Shadow's skates behind him. They were slowly getting closer. He didn't like how quickly Shadow was gaining on him. He couldn't even understand why Shadow cared the way he did – they weren't friends after all, Shadow made that very clear a long time ago. Maybe he was doing it out of spite. Yeah, that was it. He wanted him to leave him alone, but he wouldn't; he was obviously doing it on purpose as a pay back for some stupid shit he probably did to piss off Shadow recently…

'Just what I need.' He thought bitterly as the sound grew closer still.

"Oh, come now. I think he's fun!~" This was filled with cruel mirth, as usual.

'Don't. You. Dare.' He hissed at his darker side. Dark simply laughed him off; clearly, he didn't feel threatened by him in the slightest.

As he began to growl another retort at Dark, he slipped on something. He yelped. To catch himself, he curled up into a ball and rolled a fair distance before coming to a slow stop. He uncurled on his hands and knees, trying to catch his breath. In his head, Dark was silent for a moment before bursting out in laughter. Sonic grew hot in shame, anger and embarrassment. Of course, Shadow took this moment to run up beside him. Sonic growled through his teeth at both him and Dark.

"Are… you ok, Sonic?" Shadow asked hesitantly.

"Piss off!" He snapped, "Leave me alone!"

Sonic didn't even realise he was shaking until Shadow leaned down beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. It was slightly reassuring. Sonic didn't _want_ his reassurance.

"Come on. Let's just go back to Rouge's place, ok? I won't tell your friends where you are, but you need to tell me what's going on with you."

The blue-furred hedgehog pushed Shadow away and struggled to his feet. He felt himself sway ever so slightly and he blew out a puff of air from his nose in annoyance at how weak he had become because of Dark. Before Shadow could attempt his weird way of comforting him again, Sonic began to walk away, issuing a warning hiss when he heard footsteps behind him again. He began to pick up the pace. Unfortunately, it was clear that his rival wasn't going to leave him alone and instead they ended up walking together in silence. Sonic didn't have the energy to push him away again.

* * *

Shadow tried to stay as close to Sonic's side as possible while still keeping enough distance as to not upset him more than he already was. Shadow's gaze rarely strayed from the blue hedgehog's form beside him. He hated to admit it to himself, but he really was worried about Sonic. He'd never seen him so upset before. Hell, he'd rarely seen him upset, period.

While he had no doubt that Sonic was still aware of him close by, it also seemed as if the hero was… somewhere else. Mentally, at least. There was this odd look of concentration mixed with frustration, and what looked to be confusion, on his face and his pointed ears were pinned back against his head. His pace was slow as he half glared at the ground, peach arms folded in front of him. Every now and then he'd growl or hiss at nothing. Sometimes, even his ears would twitch, or his emerald eyes would widen briefly. It was almost as though he was listening to someone speak – but there was no one around but them.

He thought back to what Sonic said back at Club Rouge.

'They think I'm broken. They're not half wrong. But they don't understand...' What did he mean by that? What was it that his friends didn't understand? Why did Sonic think that they thought he was 'broken' and why did he agree? What the hell was going on with him?

He wanted to ask him, but judging by how _well_ that went last time, he had a feeling that he wasn't going to get any answers. Not now. Sonic wanted silence, so he'd stick to the silence for now. To get Sonic to speak to him, it was becoming clear that he couldn't push. He'd wait patiently if he had to, let him see that he wanted to listen, to help. Maybe then he'd answer his questions.

Sonic suddenly stopped, his cobalt quills bristling. His face paled considerably, and he pulled his arms closer to himself. Was he… shivering? There was barely any wind, so that couldn't be it. Was… was he _trembling_?

* * *

He couldn't get the image that Dark had manifested out of his head. He had described it in such detail when he was walking that he couldn't ignore it. Though, he did try. But now it was just **there** ; in place of Dark's usual mockery was an image. It was Shadow… he only knew that because Dark had repeated it so many times, otherwise the bloodied corpse was almost impossible to identify. His leg lay at an awkward angle, one of his arms was missing… there were empty sockets where his eyes had been ripped out of his skull… now they were no where to be seen… his throat was torn… his heart sat, beating, in his remaining, open hand… and there was blood… _so much blood_ …

Sonic wanted to throw up, scream, curse, cry – anything. But he couldn't. Not with Shadow still hovering to his right. He didn't want to give his rival any more reasons to worry; if that's what it was that he was even doing, anyway. He had to get away from him, but he knew he couldn't because his rival would just follow him. He made that clear the last two times he tried. No. Sonic would have to try something else…

"If you're going to fucking lurk around me for the rest of the day, can you at least give me a minute to collect myself?" He sighed at Shadow without looking up at him.

"And can I be sure that you're not going to run off?" Shadow asked suspiciously.

He was at least considering it. That was enough for Sonic. Perhaps he wasn't doing this out of spite… He still didn't look up at his counterpart though – he didn't want to look at Shadow with that horrible image still pasted on the walls of his mind.

"No promises." He chuckled, but he had a feeling it came out awkward and forced.

To the hero's surprise, Shadow actually agreed, though it was obvious he was reluctant. He really _was_ concerned for some reason.

"There's a clearing just over there," Sonic pointed into the trees, "that's where I'll be." After a moment, he added "Don't follow me."

"Five minutes." Shadow warned, "Then I'm coming over there."

He nodded as he walked towards the clearing he'd pointed out – far enough away that hopefully Shadow wouldn't see or hear anything, but close enough not for Shadow to panic or whatever. He was glad to hear no footsteps following him as he slipped between the trees.

Once he was sure he was out of earshot _and_ line of sight, he lost it.

His legs buckled underneath him as he reached the tiny clearing. On his hands and knees, he heaved, puking his guts up over the forest floor. He heaved for what felt like an hour, but Shadow hadn't appeared yet, so it really couldn't have been longer than a few minutes. He stared down in disgust at the yellowy-green mess beneath himself after he'd finished before wiping his mouth with the back of his glove. He backed away from his vomit until he could no longer smell it and leaned against a tree to catch his breath again. He shivered at the taste left in his mouth and fought down another wave of nausea as he thought back to the nightmare he'd had – when he'd had to throw up the blood he'd swallowed from the perverse sea Dark had created. He felt like he could taste the blood again, just as vividly as he'd had then. He shook his head to dispel the memory. At least the image was mostly gone now. He still felt slightly ill though. Sonic struggled to take in deep breaths as he surveyed the clearing.

Trees. Bushes. A few clusters of flowers here and there.

'Flowers. Focus on the flowers…'

The flowers were purple and cylindrical. They hung in a spiralling cluster along a thin green stalk. As he got closer, he noticed the tiny white hairs over the leaves of the plant, making it look furry. He replaced the already fading image Dark had placed in his head with the flower. He took one last deep breath and managed to calm himself down.

No Dark. No grotesque, sickening image. He revelled in the moment of peace he was allowed. His mind hadn't felt this clear for a while and it was nice to sit by the flowers and fill his mind with something beautiful for once. He focused on his breathing, trying to reach a meditative state – he knew he wouldn't get there, but he'd still try. Dark would be coming back to mock him now at any moment, but he tried not to let that thought ruin his first decent mood in ages.

He didn't even notice at first when Shadow started to make his way over to him. When he _did_ notice, however, he just prayed that Shadow hadn't seen, or smelt, his vomit. He didn't move his eyes from the flower, worried that he'd lose his mind if he did, but he knew Shadow was almost beside him now.

* * *

Shadow counted off five minutes in his head. Then he added another two, just to be sure, before following Sonic through the trees to the aforementioned clearing. To his immediate relief, Sonic was still there, sitting quietly at the farthest end of the clearing. He looked quite relaxed too – more like himself, yet still not quite all there either. Shadow also noticed that he was staring pretty intently at a purple coloured flower. He identified the tubular flower as _Digitalis purpurea_ , or "foxglove": a pretty but sometimes deadly plant. Like Sonic.

'Wait… _what_?!'

Did... did he just…? But… he didn't… he wasn't-

Did he _like_ Sonic?

He couldn't deny the lethal side of the young hero. He would be lying if he said that he hadn't noticed the laser-focused precision that Sonic had when he was fighting. He'd seen that up close himself when they'd fought, after all. He was swift with his movements and seemed to always be hyperaware of his surroundings, making him a dangerous foe and a treasured ally. His fighting skills were admirable.

But **pretty**? He supposed he was, in a strange way. His shiny, soft, cobalt fur – a fur colour that no other mobian on the planet possessed. His startlingly bright emerald eyes; a colour to rival that of the Master Emerald in intensity. A powerful but lithe runner's form, making him flexible but tough too. The perfect body. It almost made Shadow jealous at how a creature so perfect had just happened naturally when he had been created to be flawless. He knew he had flaws, despite his creator's best efforts. Sonic never seemed to have any, except…

Sonic was persistent and stubborn, though he used that unwillingness to back down to do good. While Shadow was often annoyed by this characteristic, he couldn't help but admire Sonic for it too. It meant that he'd never stop fighting for what was right and that he'd never change his viewpoints either. He also wasn't as stupid as he looked, despite what Shadow liked to think. He knew how to survive and had obviously been looking after himself for quite a while. He also had a heart of gold. Plus, he was selfless, actually funny sometimes – though Shadow wouldn't admit to that – and he always knew how to lighten the mood.

He was Sonic, the Hero of Mobius. Sonic, the believer in second chances. Sonic, the impossibly positive mobian.

But he wasn't those things right now, Shadow realised. He was vulnerable, angry, upset… self-deprecating even. There was no sign of his usual peppy self. Even now when he looked fairly serene, he was still off. Still not quite _Sonic_. Perhaps he _did_ have his own imperfections too.

Right before Shadow began to walk over to him, he caught a whiff of something putrid smelling. He noticed something else that was… _interesting_ about the clearing they were in. Namely, the pool of yellowish liquid to his right at the edge of the clearing. Vomit? He'd have to ask him about that. Was that why he'd wanted to be alone? So Shadow wouldn't see him throw up? Was he sick? Was that why he was acting off? But, no. If he remembered correctly, yellow vomit indicated bile reflux, food poisoning, migraines and other health conditions that Sonic didn't seem to have. Besides, neither of them would explain his complete change in character. So, what was the significance in him vomiting and what would cause that out of nowhere? He'd store these questions away, with the rest of them, for later.

"You seem better now." Shadow commented as he approached.

Sonic sighed, "For now."

'For now?'

"Sorry for yelling at ya earlier." He continued, mumbling, "I suppose I haven't been feeling like myself recently…"

Though Sonic wasn't looking at him, Shadow still caught the glare he'd sent at the rings around his wrists as he trailed off. Why was that? Was he blaming his recent mood on his friends? That didn't seem like the young hero at all.

"Why do you think that is?" He asked, pretending like he'd seen nothing but still fishing for answers to the endless questions he had.

Sonic visibly tensed.

He stammered, "Well, I… he… it's because I… I don't know. Don't suppose it really matters." He shrugged at that last part, trying to play off his stuttering with a nonchalance that felt more like his usual attitude.

But, Shadow had still caught his reaction to the question, the waver in his tone. He'd panicked. Sonic had panicked. He knew exactly why he was acting differently. He must. So why wouldn't he tell him? And… did he say 'he'? Who did Sonic mean? Knuckles? Tails?

"Who's 'he'?" Shadow tried.

Sonic's head shot up, "N-no one!" he shouted defensively before wincing and looking away again, "I mean, I didn't mean anyone." He corrected.

The look of regret on Sonic's face told Shadow that he hadn't meant for the word 'he' to slip into his answer earlier. He certainly hadn't meant for Shadow to pick up on it either. It was also obvious that Sonic knew by saying 'no one' that he had just confirmed that there was indeed someone that he didn't want Shadow to know about. He was intrigued. He wanted so desperately to demand a real answer from Sonic, but he knew he wasn't going to be getting one, so there was no point.

"Fine." He sighed instead, "You can tell me later."

"… Later?" Sonic repeated, "No than-."

"You don't have to tell me right now," Shadow interrupted, "but I'm not going to leave you alone until I know the problem – and how to fix it."

Sonic actually laughed, this time sounding way more genuine too, "You're starting to sound like me."

Shadow smiled lightly, knowing full well that Sonic wasn't looking at him, "Which part? The annoying part or the actually helpful part?"

The blue hedgehog finally turned to face him, a half-smirk gracing his face, "Both."

* * *

I'm going to try to make chapters longer, like this one, because I'm aware that some of you are a little frustrated with the short ones. Believe me, I am too – so I thought I'd remedy that! Or, at least try to. Do you guys think this length is better? Let me know!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will be trying to upload more regularly, but no promises! I'm a lazy, procrastinating bitch, but I'll try!

Thanks for reading!

~Fortune


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